If there was ever a time for you to attend a public hearing, this is it.

At the request of the Governor’s office, FDOT Secretary Ananth Prasad will be conducting a series of public meetings on Tuesday, June 28, 2011 regarding the SunRail project. These are to ensure that all partners understand their respective obligations and to obtain additional public input that will be considered by the Governor in making his decision on the project.

6:45-7:45 a.m. Volusia County at the Volusia County TPO Office in Daytona Beach

8:30-9:30 a.m. Seminole County at the County Administration Building

12:00-1:00 p.m. City of Maitland at Maitland City Hall

2:00-3:00 p.m. City of Orlando at Orlando City Hall

4:00-5:00 p.m. Orange County at the County Administration Building

6:00-7:00 p.m. Osceola County at the Country Administration Building

This is your final physical opportunity express to the Governor the importance of the SunRail project to Central Florida. The opponents of SunRail are organized and will certainly be in attendance.

If you are not able to attend and you have not personally contacted the Governor already to express your views about the project, this is the time to do so. You can do this by letter (The Honorable Rick Scott, Governor, The Capitol, 400 South Monroe Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001), a telephone call (850.488.7146), email (rick.scott@eog.myflorida.com), FaceBook or Twitter (FLGovScott).

When state DOT Secretary Ananth Prasad arrives next Tuesday to meet with Orlando and Orange County commissioners to check on their support of the SunRail commuter train, the West Orange Tea Party is organizing a welcoming committee.

The group is putting together what it calls “a broad coalition of Tea Party/912 groups, taxpayers and business onwers” for a 1 p.m. rally at Orlando City Hall. The group then plans to attend the 2 p.m. meeting of the Orlando City Commission and then follow Prasad over to Rosalind Ave. for a 4 p.m. meeting with the Orange County Commission.

“SunRail is the poster child for big government spending on a public project that we don’t need, and that will be paid for with money we don’t have,” said former Winter Park Commissioner Beth Dillaha in the group’s release.

Gov. Rick Scott has set a July 1 deadline to decide on whether to permit the $1.2 billion, 61-mile commuter rail project to go forward. He’s been holding up signing the contract since shortly after he took office on Jan. 4.

Prasad has been dispatched to talk to local governments from Volusia to Osceola who have committed to pay their share of the line’s operating costs when a state subsidy expires in seven years. Prasad, as we’ve reported, will tell the cities and counties there’ll be no bailout if costs exceed projections — a public admonition that some believe will then enable Scott to say he’d warned the locals and has no choice but to let the train move forward.

I’ve found the web site for the office in this area and it’s barely a bike ride away. Since I’m supportive of public transportation systems, especially those that would allow me to expand my travels without using a motor vehicle, I’d like to attend.

What would be expected of “the little guy” in such a situation as this? Is the simple act of being there on the “yes” side enough to count?

If I’m planning to speak, should I try to go to the Orange County meeting, since I live outside city limits, the Orlando meeting, since that’s the station I’d be using (via #50 bus), or does it not matter?

As for “coordinated colors,” I’d say it looks better if the pro-SunRail folks DON’T look organized (as long as there are lots of us). That way it looks like a natural ground-swell instead of an AstroTurf organization like the Tea Party.

Is there a charge for the City Hall lockers? Am I allowed to use them for business outside City Hall (specifically, the Orange County meeting)? I see nothing on their website.

I use a cable lock (or whatever you call the bendy eyebar-like cable with a padlock through the eyes) when I volunteer at the local suburban elementary school – I think that’s enough protection there 🙂

Sorry – I won’t be able to make it; my back is hurting worse than normal. I was planning on saying something about how areas not directly served by SunRail will still benefit, giving the example of myself going to places north of Orlando using the (de facto express on I-4 from Sea World to downtown) #50 bus (a short bike ride from home) to SunRail. Perhaps one of you who is speaking could mention this.

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